Workaway

[nelsonic]

A Workawayer is: a traveller who wants to give back to the communities and places they visit.
Open to helping hosts and using the experience to learn and immerse in the local culture.

https://www.workaway.info/en/info/how-it-works/workawayer

https://www.workaway.info/en/info/learn-new-skills

https://youtu.be/NUSQv1MfNVg

@Stephanymtr recently reminded us of Workaway as she considered it last year before joining our family/team. 💭
We know people who have used it in the past to travel & work in new countries e.g. Spain, Japan and Australia. 🗺️

There are several families/farms using it in PT: https://www.workaway.info/en/hostlist?&country=PT

Examples in PT:

If we were to use Workaway for finding people to help on our land [ #3, #25 -> #116 🤞]
it would be classified as:

• Sustainable project
• Cultural exchange
• Language exchange
• Paid position

While we are setting up our land, we would compensate the person/people joining us with a stipend/wage.
We don't want people feeling like we are "exploiting" them to do grunt work ...

@iteles these folks are based in Viseu we could ask them for an in-person visit/tour when we visit land this week:
https://www.workaway.info/en/host/998762776613

@Stephanymtr how did you discover Workaway?
And what sort of thing were you looking for when you were researching last year?
What things would we need to consider if we were creating a profile?

Feedback video from someone who has done 8 workaway trips across Europe:
My Workaway Experiences, Lessons I've Learnt and Tips! https://youtu.be/AzNVgGYobkI

[nelsonic]

WWOOFING + WORKAWAY ADVICE: https://youtu.be/E2iE8xnlHrI

[nelsonic]

HelpX is mentioned in the above video: https://www.helpx.net/host?geographicalRegion=Europe&country=Portugal

Take a look at these two listings:

The first is the kind of thing we would have for #116 whereas the second would be good for @home 💭

Full listing: https://www.helpx.net/host/666682MO

and https://www.helpx.net/host/835601SS

Sadly we have to register to see reviews ... but apparently registration is "Free" until you want to actually apply for a place then you have to pay to contact the host ... that's a better model than some other sites.

FAQ: https://www.helpx.net/faq

[Stephanymtr]

@nelsonic Here is a little bit about my story

How did you discover Workaway?
When I decided to move to Portugal, I knew that I was going to find a full-time job which meant I wouldn't be able to travel as often as I wanted. I also had been saving some money and I really did not want to burn it all on trips. Therefore, I started looking up part-time jobs at hostels across Europe. Google ads/results kindly suggested me to click on Workaway website.

what sort of thing were you looking for when you were researching last year?
There were some paid hostel jobs, but I felt very uncomfortable at the idea of sharing a room with other people especially men - mixed dorm is the usual free accommodation workawayers get. Once I learned more about Workaway and the various ways to help the community while traveling, I knew that I couldn't go wrong with babysitting. I love kids, and as you MAY know. I contacted multiple families until I bumped into the perfected opportunity: a Japanese Montessori school who needed someone to help with adm work.

What things would we need to consider if we were creating a profile?

• photos of the place, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen. I also liked seeing faces: hosts/previous workawayers photos.
• I would want to know which parts of the house/place I would be sharing/ with how many people ish I would be sharing that with - aka what the accommodation looks like
• how many hours/how much work the host is expecting me to do. This info will give me good idea on how much free time I will have to explore the area.
• I really didn't care to get paid, I only contacted hosts with very good reviews and that did not allow smoking
• I was mainly focused on places that had some sort of public transportation nearby. I really did not want to depend on the hosts taking me places - some families offered that option
• Most of the babysitting opportunities I saw had loads of other tasks to do. A lot of the families were renovating their farms/houses, so it wasn't just babysitting all day, which I quite liked. I love DIY so improving those skills was a plus for me.
• I'm happy to share more as I remember, but having your profile fully completed with as much information as possible is a very good start.

Which places would I have gone and why ?
I was open to go anywhere as long as it had public transportation around and wasn't snowing - really didn't want to pack a lot e.g. pants and coats.

what experience was I looking for ?
I was just looking into traveling. Besides babysitting & improving my DIY skills, I wanted learn more about other cultures without spending so much money.

[nelsonic]

Great feedback. Makes perfect sense as a way to travel and learn new skills/cultures on a budget. 👌

[nelsonic]

Which is the better volunteer site? WorkAway or Worldpackers? https://youtu.be/f5KPBycyHvk